‘Absolutely furious’: Manitoban defrauded amid Ticketmaster breach

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 15/07/2024 (793 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Roslyn Forbes is usually excited when she gets an email from Ticketmaster, because it means she’s scored an entry to an upcoming event.

That wasn’t the case when she heard from the global ticket sales giant last week.

Forbes is one of the Canadian customers recently warned by Ticketmaster their data may have been compromised during a security breach that occurred between early April and mid May.

During that time period, Forbes said someone used the credit card she had on file with Ticketmaster to rack up $10,000 worth of charges.

Though she can’t be sure the fraudster got her information via the large-scale data breach, Forbes was upset when she got Ticketmaster’s email.

“I opened it up and I was absolutely furious,” said the Île-des-Chênes resident, who purchases tickets for concerts and sporting events from Ticketmaster about 10 times a year. “I was super mad because they have a responsibility to protect our information.”

The fraudulent charges were for large, expensive purchases, including car parts, said Forbes, who cancelled the credit card once she became aware of the issue.

“Nobody likes to see that they’ve been (defrauded) or hacked or that their information has been stolen or that someone is trying to use their information for their benefit,” she said.

Names, card information stolen

In its July 8 warning to Canadian customers, Ticketmaster stated it discovered “an unauthorized third party” had obtained information from a cloud database hosted by a third-party data services provider.

The personal information that may have been obtained during the breach may have included customers’ names, basic contact information and payment card information.

Ticketmaster recommended customers “remain vigilant” and take steps to protect against identity theft and fraud, including monitoring accounts, account statements and free credit reports for signs of suspicious activity.

Manitoba’s Consumer Protection Office does not have jurisdiction as it relates to investigating privacy breaches, a provincial spokesperson told the Free Press in an email. The federal Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada regulates in this area.

A spokesperson from the privacy commissioner’s office said it has been in contact with Ticketmaster about the breach.

“The (privacy commissioner’s office) continues to remain engaged with Ticketmaster in order to determine next steps,” the spokesperson wrote in an email. “At this time, we are unable to provide further details.”

Credit monitoring offered

Both the consumer protection office and privacy commissioner’s office recommend consumers who may have been part of a privacy breach contact credit reporting agencies TransUnion or Equifax and request a security alert be placed on their credit file.

Ticketmaster is offering customers one year of free credit monitoring with TransUnion.

Forbes is taking advantage of the offer, but said it does little to relieve her dismay.

“It doesn’t appease me at all,” she said. “Why didn’t (Ticketmaster) take … extra security measures in the first place? It is their responsibility when they’re storing our information to make sure it’s safe and protected right through the chain.”

When asked for comment, Ticketmaster directed the Free Press to its original statement about the breach.

aaron.epp@freepress.mb.ca